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May 09, 2018

Being designers, we like to think that our work can have some sort of benefit to society, no matter how small, rather than harm it. It might be a book cover that encouraged someone to pick up a book to read or a poster that moved another to attend a music concert or film. But, occasionally, you come across something really special that combines wonderful creative thinking and design and is of real benefit to society – and you just wished you had done it.

I spent the bank holiday with my son Joe and my ten-year-old granddaughter Yoko. Joe produced this wonderful series of workbooks called ‘Mrs Wordsmith’. It had been recommended for Yoko by her schoolteacher. A passing glance at this little learning kit really intrigued me. Digging alittle deeper, I was mightily impressed.

As a child, I struggled with what we now know as dyslexia. Back in the 1950s, the phrase used was “you are a slow learner”, or more unkindly “you are thick”. That is why I was constantly drawing – something I could do with ease. It became my world and a form of expression.

So, studying ‘Mrs Wordsmith’, I realised that it would have been a godsend to the likes of me back in the dark days of the 1950s. It’s a simple, clear method of learning a vocabulary of the 10,000 most academically relevant words. And yes, that could be presented very boringly, if you think about how this kind of information used to be taught. Mrs Wordsmith, however, is fantastically inventive and is overwhelmingly aided by the brilliantly energetic illustrations by Craig Kellman, Mrs Wordsmith’s Art Director and the award-winning artist behind the films Madagascar and Hotel Transylvania, along with his team.

Through a £2 million crowdfunding investment, Mrs Wordsmith was launched in 2016 by Sofia Fenichell. The idea came to her one night when helping her own children to improve their writing skills.

The whole system is based on solid academic and scientific research. It builds on transforming the way the young learn, retain and use the kinds of words that deliver literacy and academic success. A big part of this is the brilliant visual presentation, based on engaging the young reader with intelligent storytelling humour. So, looking becomes a big part of the process to trigger the answers to the questions posed. For example, take a word like ‘deflated’. This is how Craig Kellman visually expresses it.

There are hundreds of these wonderfully witty illustrations by Craig Kellman.

Humour and visuals are a proven way to help with effective learning, boosting children’s involvement and retention. Mrs Wordsmith’s words are arresting because they are so visually stimulating.

So, for any of you parents keen to promote your children’s learning skills (ages 7–11), I would highly recommend this imaginative scheme. I only wished that Mrs Wordsmith had been around when I was a kid.